The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) asks you to join calls for the reality talk show José Luis Sin Censura to immediately stop using defamatory terms and apologize to viewers. The terms "maricón" and "puñal," which in English translate to "fa**ot" were chanted by audience members on the June 8 segment of the program. The same pattern occurred on the June 10 segment of the show, when audience members chanted "puto," a word that also means "fa**ot" in many Spanish-speaking countries.

GLAAD reached out to executives of the company that produces José Luis Sin Censura to express our concerns, but the company has not responded. The show is produced and distributed by Burbank, CA-based LBI, Liberman Broadcasting Inc. José Luis Sin Censura airs daily on Estrella TV in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Houston and other large Latino markets. By one estimate, Estrella TV reaches about 70% of the nation's Latino households and millions of Latinos nationwide.

The show's format pits guests against one another in combative situations. This often leads to violence, which audience members are encouraged to cheer and sends a message that violence against LGBT people is okay.

In the past, GLAAD has called attention to the show's use of defamatory language and violence against gay and transgender guests. GLAAD's efforts resulted in national advertisers KFC and Chevrolet pulling their ads from José Luis Sin Censura. At that time, producers vowed to improve their record, but recent shows make it clear that defamatory language is acceptable to LBI and the show's producers.

"Urging audience members to chant such obscene words is shocking and shows a complete lack of responsibility on the part of producers and programmers. These shows send a dangerous message and can contribute to putting gay people in harm's way. This type of programming is unacceptable," said Jarrett Barrios, president of GLAAD.

"When so much of the LGBT coverage on Spanish-language television has vastly improved over the years and become increasingly fair, accurate and inclusive, it is extremely disturbing to see a show like José Luis Sin Censura air this defamatory language, seemingly with impunity and clearly without any regard for the safety of the gay community," Barrios said.

I call on the José Luis Sin Censura show to immediately stop using defamatory terms and apologize to viewers. The terms “maricón” and “puñal” are dehumanizing, and show a complete lack of responsibility on the part of your producers and programmers. The casual use of these words sends a dangerous message and can contribute to putting gay people in harm’s way. Please stop allowing the use of these offensive words on your programming.